UK to bolster police response to domestic violence

LONDON (AFP) — Domestic abuse specialists will be part of U.K. police emergency call centers from early next year to better protect women and girls, the government’s Home Office said on Friday.

The pilot scheme is part of Raneem’s Law, named after Raneem Oudeh and her mother Khaola Saleem who were murdered by Raneem’s ex-husband in 2018.

Raneem rang the emergency number 999 four times on the night she was killed, but officers didn’t reach the scene in time and an inquest found police failings “materially contributed” to their deaths.

Police officers on the ground will be advised by domestic abuse specialists to ensure victims get a “fast response,” the Home Office said.

In the last year, nearly 100 domestic abuse related offenses were recorded by police in England and Wales every hour, the ministry said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

“Victims of appalling domestic abuse need to know that the police will be there for them,” said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

“Failure to understand the seriousness of domestic abuse costs lives and far too many have already been lost.”

However, the government plans to do more than give victims a “good call,” said Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, calling domestic violence a “national emergency.”

“I don’t want to just give somebody who’s taken a beating a good call. I want them not to take that beating in the first place,” she added.

Before becoming a lawmaker, Phillips worked with domestic abuse victims.

Starting in November, another scheme will strengthen police orders for abusers to stay away from their victims.

Currently, victims are only protected for up to 28 days.

With the new orders, perpetrators will be legally required to inform the police of any change in name or address and can be electronically tagged, with no maximum duration.

The strengthened Domestic Abuse Protection Orders will be initially trialed by police units in London and Manchester, as well as by the British Transport Police.

Some 2.3 million people experienced some form of domestic abuse in the year ending March 2024, according to crime statistics in England and Wales.

The U.K. has been rocked in recent months by several high-profile incidents of violence against women, including domestic cases.

Refuge, the U.K.’s largest charity supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence, said violence against women and girls was at “unprecedented levels.”.

This week, a man was charged for the triple murder of a mother and two daughters north of London. According to British media, the murder suspect was the ex-partner of one of the daughters.

While Refuge “broadly supported” the new measures, there was need for “far more detail on how these plans will be implemented and how staff will be safely recruited, vetted and most importantly trained,” said interim Chief Executive Abigail Ampofo.

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By Agence France-Presse